Pendleton mayoral candidate Joseph Hull, standing, watches over the election results with his wife Michael, May 21, 2024, on election night at Mac’s Bar and Grill in Pendleton. Hull lost the race to City Councilor McKennon McDonald.

PENDLETON — McKennon McDonald beat Joseph Hull in the Pendleton mayoral race 1,874-1,086 votes, according to preliminary results. The win Tuesday, May 21, makes her the next mayor of Pendleton and the city’s first female mayor.

McDonald, 33, will take over from John Turner in January 2025, serving as the city’s 43rd mayor. She serves as the president of Pendleton City Council as well as on the board of the League of Oregon Cities.

“Our city’s had 42 mayors so far, and I feel like our community is an amazing place and I’m just so fortunate to be able to be part of the history of the community and be part of trying to make Pendleton a better place for people to live,” she said. “And so I’m just really excited for what the next few years have in store.”

The results came in at about 8:15 p.m., during the second hour of a regular city council meeting. McDonald received a congratulatory text from a friend with a screenshot of the initial results. Votes in her favor make up 63.3%, with Hull receiving 36.7%, as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, May 22.

“My first thought was, I was humbled and just really thankful for the support that I received from the community,” McDonald said after the meeting. “It’s so hard to know, in an election with no polling or any gauge on how you’re doing, what the results are going to be, so I think there was a little bit of shock, but just ultimately very, very thankful for the support.”

A different sort of mayor

McDonald said she realizes the difference between her characteristics and those of past mayors, but since she’s been on the council for 10 years, it’s something she’s already used to.

“I’ll be 34 when I take office, I have a small child, I am a full time employee somewhere and I’m a woman,” she said, “and I think that those are not your typical stats of people that are running, especially for elected positions that are more volunteer.”

She added she is grateful for the community’s support for someone who is different from past mayors.

“I’m just thankful that the community supported me and that they see someone that they want to be the face of their community or that they’re supportive of,” she said.

McDonald also said she appreciated Turner’s tenure as mayor.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve with him for the past eight years and I really look forward to being able to work with him as he transitions into retirement and as we look going forward,” she said. “It’s great to be able to have that resource. I’ve actually been on the council for two different mayors, and so being able to know that you have those people to call, to be able to talk to, I think will be really important as well.”

Hull wishes Pendleton well

Hull, who was holding an event at Mac’s Bar and Grill in Pendleton, said it was exciting to await the results and potentially serve Pendleton in a new capacity, though he was disappointed in the race’s outcome.

“It’s a very exciting night, I love to see the democratic process working,” he said after the unofficial results were posted. “I’m very disappointed though, and I know what my wife and I have given to Pendleton the last seven years since we moved home, and I wanted to serve at that next level and so very disappointed, but (it) does not impact our love of Pendleton.”

Hull said he will continue working on the sports complex as well as other ways to support the city.

To McDonald, he said: “Congratulations, and take good care of our Pendleton that we love.”

The soon-to-be mayor said it can be intimidating to run for office.

“I’ve always been a huge supporter of anyone willing to get involved and be part of the public process,” she said. “I really commend Joe (Hull) and everyone who decided to run for the council race.”

She said she was thankful he and the council candidates were interested in volunteering their time to make Pendleton a better place.

For McDonald, the challenge of the coming months — once the county certifies the election results — will be figuring out how to balance her job, family and upcoming role. She said she is thankful for her support system as well as the support of the community.

“I really hope that through this process that, you know, the community truly understands that I do value community input and what people have to say and being part of that public process, and that’s been a huge piece of my campaign from the start,” she said. “I really just hope that people feel open to being able to have those conversations and to be able to work together to move our community forward.”